Trailer wheel support and guiding means



June 5, 1945,

F. E. MINER TRAILER WHEEL SUPPORT AND GUIljING MEANS Fi led Nov. 22,1943 Patented June 1945 Floyd E. Miner, Chicago, Ill. ApplicationNovember 22, 1943, Serial No. 511,209

40mins. (01. 280-334) This invention relates to support and guidingmeans for trailer wheels and is an improvement of myfTrailerwheelsupporting means, filed September 10, 1942, Serial No. 457,819, nowPaton the line 66 of Fig. 5.

The trailer is illustrated as having a body. H) which is supported on atransverse spring! I car ried on the axle [2," The forward end ofthetrailer body It! is provided with a pair of arms ent #2,345,945 issuedApril 4, 1944. 5 l3l3 for attachment to a car l4.

Thepresent invention is more particularly di- The axle I2 is provided ateach of itsends with rected. to means for connecting trailer wheels asocket [5 into which socket a ball l6 of a spintogether tosimultaneously guide them during dle I"! is journaled. The ball lfi isarranged to their turning movementsupon the movement of be ositionedabove the axial line of the spindle the trailer and to properly alignthem with the 10 to permit the spindle tobe rocked in accordance wheelsof the car to which the trailer is attached. with the rotating movementsof the wheel l8 car- It is therefore, an object of the present invenriedthereon. The construction permits of a wobtion to accomplish the abovefeatures whereby ble movement of the wheel, and as both wheels the twowheels of the trailer will automatically of the trailer are arrangedin-a like manner, it adjust themselves simultaneously in accordance isthe means to connect and guide the wheels with the direction. ofmovement of the car to simultaneously thatthis invention appertains.which the trailer is attached. .Each spindle I! has fixed on its innerside an A further object is the provision of a combina- L-shaped plate[9 and to each. leg of which is tion swingable and pivotal wheel spindleon each pivotallyconnected at 29-20 and 2l-2l a tieend of the axle andwith transverse means co-nrod or connecting means 22 and 23,respectively. necting the spindles for simultaneous movements. Thesetie-rods or connecting means 22 and 23 are And afurther object is the prv n f u de arranged an appreciable distance apart on the meansassociated with the transverse means for spindles and below their axialline and serve to limiti th w ne and p v m v men of connect and guidethe spindles 1'! in their turning the spin l s or p op a e t o th ea iemovements on a substantially horizontal plane ofithe Wheels i edirection the trailer is being inthe sockets 15 while permitting of afree for moved. w rd and backward rocking movement of the H Stil fu er Oje t s t provision OI a SWingspindles. The free forward and backward.rockable and pivotal wheel spindle on each end of the ing movements ofthe spindles is affected by the axle with means associated with thewheels spinrotating movements of the wheels IS in accordd es for Co tthem t ether and for guid- .ance to the direction in which the traileris. being ing and limiting their swinging and pivotal movemoved. Thisforward and rearward rocking me ts o a n the wheels in accordance to themovement of the spindles positions them to the directionof movement ofthe car to which the proper angle of caster and in order to limit thetrailer is attached. n caster of the spindles in either direction, aguid- 1. Other and further objects and advantages will ing. means isprovided, as will be presently debecome apparent from the ensuingdescription scribed. v and claims. A pair of arms 24 and 25 is securedat 26--21 Referring to the drawing: to the axle, l2 and extendsforwardly and con- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a trailer embody- 0verges to supporta depending wheel 28 which is ing my inventionand witha portion of the trailer normally spaced an appreciable distance fromthe body broken away to show the operative parts, ground whenthe traileris attached to a car, but and with the trailer as attached to the rearwhich wheelserves to support the forward end bumper of. a car. 1 of thetrailerwhen it is disconnected from'the car. Figure 2is anenlargedpartialdetail rear ele- The arms 24 and 25 and a rearwardlydirected vation substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. l. pair of arms 29and 30 which are also secured Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectionalview to the axle I2 serve as means to which the spindletakensubstantially on the line 33 of Fig. l. guiding means is secured.Attached to each of Figure 4isa partial plan view of a modified the arms24-25 and 29-30 is a guidemeans .formof guide means operable by thetransverse such as a cable or chain 3l-32 and 33-314, remeans. i ispectively, which are directed in the form of a V Figure 5'is asectional view of a modified form and attached to their respectivetie-rods. The of spindle support taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 6. cablesor chains 3| and 32 are attached to the Figure 6 is a sectional viewtaken substantially forward tie-rod 22 at three positions 35, 3B and 31,while the cables or chains 30 and SI are atpulled in a forwarddirection, the resistance of the wheels on the ground will cause thespindles to be rocked rearwardly and the'cables or chains 3| and 32 willbe drawn taut while the cables or I chains 33 and 34 will be released.As the trailer is moved in a rearward direction, the spindles are rockedforwardly andthe cablesor chains 33rand 34 are drawn taut and the cablesor chains 3| and 32 are released. These cables or chains serve as theguide means for limiting the forward and backward rocking movements:of'the spindles to the proper caster while permitting of a ,pivotalturning movement of the spindles.

This castersectionof the spindles, when thetrailer-is movedrforwardly,is illustratedin Fig.3, in which the vertical line through the spindle,is indicated asA, while the :caster angle=is indicated as B. When thetrailerumovement isreversed,-the caster :angle :of the spindles isithenrearwardly'of the vertical line A.

Referring now to the modified form; illustrated in Fig. 4, the axle l2ahas spindles l'ld wobbly arranged at each end thereof and the tie-rods22a=and23a are connected to the spindles .for effecting a simultaneousmovement of the spindles ona substantiallyrhorizontal plane. Thisportion of the structure \is'thesame as that shown in the preferredformFigs'l, 2 and 3, thedifferencebeing in the guiding means forlimitingthe caster movement of the spindles. This :guidingmeans' comprises twopairs of links Sid-32a and "33a- 34a pivotally secured forwardly andrearwardly of the axle i211 and centrally thereon The free 'ends of thelinks are each provided with loop formations designated as-4l and theseiforma- 'tions receive the tie-rods {22a and 23a, respectively, andpermit of a free sliding movement of the tie-rods therethrough. Thelinks are pivotally attached to the axle' at '42 and 43 and thesepivotal connections permit ofa free rocking and pivotal movementof thelinks sothat they will not hinder the free casteringmovements of thespindles. To limit the caster movement :of the'spin- -dles, each tie-rod220-2311 "is 'provided with a clamp member designated as 44 adjustablyattached to the tie-rodsoutwardly of the loops 4| of the links.

The clamp members 44 are positioned on "the tie-rods so as to engagetheloops of opposite ends of the links 3 lei-32a when the trailer ismovedin aforwardly direction and at which time the tieloops 4| ofthe'links 3 la,32a. v

While the caster angle is in the forward or "rearward direction-aspointed out in the description to Fig. 3, thetrailer'wheels are'free toturn on their caster pivots the distance permitted by the spacebetween'theloops -4I of the linksand the clamp members 44 of thetie-rods.

Referring more particularly to "Figsn5 andfiga modified form of wheelsupport and guiding means is illustrated in which the trailer axle maybe eliminated and the wheels supported directly to the body of thetrailer orin instances where a single Wheel for a trailer may bedesirable. The bracket 45 is secured to the bodyof the trailer and acup-shaped housing 46 is secured to the bracket 45. Depending centrallynear the periphery of the cup-shaped housing 46 is a socket 41 intowhich a ball 48 is pivoted and from which loalldepends an integralspindle bearing 49 into which the spindle 50 is pivoted and whichspindle supports a dished wheel 5!. which brings the tire fltreadaligned withthe ball 48 pivoted in the socket 41,- Diametrically belowthe ball 48 and secured to the spindle bearing 49 are cables or chainsarranged in pairs and designated as 52 and 53.

These cables'or chains serve to limit the caster movement of the spindle50 in either direction or turning movement of the wheel 5| in the samemanner as the cables or chains .inthe Tpre'ferred embodimentFigs. 1, 2and 3.

In either of the forms shown, theca'stermf'the spindles is limited byguiding .means :in either direction of movement of the trailer andinze'ach instance the guiding means will permit :of a "free pivotalturning movement of the spindles dictated by the road conditionsiand thedirection infwhich thetrailer is beingmoved about.

I claimi '1. In a trailer wheel support and guiding means, van axle,wheel spindles wobbly attached on the end'sof the axle, 'wheels on thespindles, means connecting the spindles for simultaneous wobblymovements, supports on'the axle extending forwardly and rearwardlythereof, guide means connecting said supports'and'spindleconnecting'means for guiding and limiting thewobblemovements of said spindles, said guide'means forminga caster pivot forthe wheels at each limit of theirmovement. "2. In a trailer wheelsupport and guiding means, anaxle, wheel spindles wobbly attached'rod'23a will be moved 'rearwardly with the cl'amp members thereon inspaced relation with the loops 4| of the links 3311-3411. Whenthetrailer is moved rearwardly, the caster action is in the on the ends ofthe, axle, wheels on the spindles, means connecting the spindles forsimultaneous wobble movements, guiding means carried by'the axle andconnected to said connecting means "for 'limitingthe wobble movements ofthe spindles in two extreme limits of their wobblemovements to provide acaster pivot'for the wheels'in either direction of their turningmovements.

In a trailer wheel support and-guidingmeans,

an axle, wheel spindles pivoted at each end of the axle, wheels onthe'spindles, mean connecting the spindles for simultaneouspivotalmovements, guiding means carried on opposite sides of the axleand attached to said spindle connecting means for limiting theirmovements inxtwo directions, said guiding means permitting :of ,a

-free pivotal movementof the spindles :between their two extreme limitsof movement.

' end of the axle, wheels on the spindles,means their pivotal movements.

connecting the spindles 'for simultaneous pivotal movements, guide meanscarried on each tSldBTOf "the'axle and attached to said spindleconnecting means for limiting the pivotal movements .of the spindles intwo directions of their ,pivotal m'oveiments, said. guide meanspermitting of awwobble movement of the spindles between each limit ofFLOYD-E. MINER.

